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A real-time operating system (RTOS) is an operating system with two key features: predictability and determinism. In an RTOS, repeated tasks are performed within a tight time boundary, while in a general-purpose operating system, this is not necessarily so. Predictability and determinism, in this case, go hand in hand: We know how long a task will take, and that it will always produce the same result.
What Is an RTOS
and How Does It Work?
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Michel Chabroux is responsible for the Product Management team driving technology and business strategies for Wind River runtime environments, including the VxWorks and Wind River Linux families of products. He has more than 20 years of industry experience, including roles in technical sales, support, training, and product management. Prior to joining Wind River, he was a consultant in business management and information systems, working with a variety of clients. He holds a master’s degree in computer science applied to business administragtion from Université de Lorraine.
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Michel Chabroux
Senior Director of Product Management, Wind River
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Five RTOS Characteristics
Repeating an input will result in the same output.
Determinism
RTOS systems are fast and responsive, often executing actions within a small fraction of the time needed by a general OS.
High performance
Priority scheduling means that actions assigned a high priority are executed first, and those with lower priority come after. This means that an RTOS will always execute the most important task.
Priority-based scheduling
RTOSes are frequently used in critical systems when failures can have catastrophic consequences, such as robotics or flight controllers. To protect those around them, they must have higher security standards and more reliable safety features.
Safety and security
Compared to their hefty general OS counterparts, RTOSes weigh in at just a fraction of the size. For example, Windows 10, with post-install updates, takes up approximately 20 GB. VxWorks, on the other hand, is approximately 20,000 times smaller, measured in the low single-digit megabytes.
Small footprint
RTOSes are often used in intelligent edge devices, also known as cyber-physical systems. This means that the device is both producing and operating upon data. So a car, for example, would be able to monitor its surroundings and act upon them instantaneously on its own. Such devices often couple artificial intelligence or machine learning, or both, with real-time components to increase the capabilities of the underlying structure.
Due to its benefits, a real-time operating system is most often used in an embedded system — that is, a system that operates behind the scenes of a larger operation. The RTOS usually has no graphical user interface. Occasionally, multiple OSes are integrated simultaneously, to provide operational capability coupled with the usability of a general-purpose OS.
RTOS Use in
Embedded Systems
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Why Use an RTOS?
RTOSes are subdivided into “soft” and “hard” real-time systems. Soft real-time systems operate within a few hundred milliseconds, at the scale of a human reaction. Hard real-time systems provide responses that are predictable within tens of milliseconds or less.
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In applications that require reliable and repeatable actions, the RTOS is favored over its general OS counterpart. Especially in embedded or critical systems, where reliability and speed are essential, a real-time operating system is needed.
If you enjoyed these clips, watch the full web seminar to understand more about how real-time operating systems work, why they’re important, and how you can leverage them to improve and accelerate deployments.
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Want to learn more about RTOSes?
Ready for a Cloud-Native World
The Modern RTOS
Moving to the Next Level
The Future of RTOS
A Deep Dive into Embedded Development
Introduction to RTOS:
You may be interested in these resources:
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05
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